Battery.



No. 816,384. PATENTBD MAR. 27, 1906. E. W. SCHNEIDER. BATTERY.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 1965.

UNITED ATES EUGENE WlLLIAM SUHNEHJER, OF N PATENT OFFICE.

Ell YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO THE MEARS EAR PHONE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.. A CORIUR KTION OF NE W YORK.

BATTERY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2'7, 1906.

To a) whom it may concern.-

Scnnrnonn, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city f and county of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bctteries, of which the following is c specification.

My invention relates batteries, and particularly to dry batteries, by means of which the life of such batteries may be lengthened bye. simple manipulation, doing away with wiring between batteries and with switches or plugs.

he accompanying drawings show an spl parntus suitable to the carrying out of my inl vention, although I do not limit myself to the l exact construction shown, as changes may be mode in the apparatus without changing its mode of operation nor the effect produced.

In order to show a practical example of my invention, 1 have shown it in connection with a portable sudiphone; but it must be understood that it is applicable to all cases where batteries are used and where it is desired to lengthen the life of the battery systenisuch as, for instance, in ignition devices for explosive-engines, &c.

v Figure l is a cross-section through the bettery-cese, showing the transmitter of an audiphone in place with its connections with the ettery and earpiece, the front being remove and the iece bein shown in section. Fig. 2 is :r plitn View 0 the open end of the battery-ease with the cells in place. F i 3 is 2:. ion view of the forked spring to hold the so ls in position and make the proper connection between the some. Fig 4 is a part rear elevation of the apparatus, sl'iowing the transmitter in place with outside connections to the earpiece. Figs.'5 and 6 show a modification in the manner of interrupting the current.

The device consists of a, battery-case of insulating materiel 1, closed at one end and divided into two compartments of unequal size, one compartment being of sufficient size to hold two cells side by side, the other holding one only. The cells are maintained l to improvements in l in lace by means of a forked spring 6, which F sli es under screw 7 and may be detached when the cells are to be displaced or replaced. In the example shown the top of the batterycase is permanently closed, and the trans l l I l i l jniitter 2 is connected to the battery by Be it known that I, EUGENE WILLIAM means oi metallic screws 3 and 4. An earpiece 5 is connected to the transmitter by the usual wiring. The two cells'lQ 20 in the larger compartment are permanentl connected in series by menus of the meta. hc lug S, which reaches from the carbon of the cell 19 to the zinc sheath of the cell 20. When the device is first put in use, the forked spring 6, being forced under the screw 7, maintains all the cells in place, the cell 21 being at that time in the case with its carbon down, the lugs 9 9 thereof being also down. The two ends of the fork of the spring 6 thus bear upon the lugs 9 9 and the carbon of the cell 20. It will be seen that as long as cell 21 remains in this position it will not be called 11 on to furnish current, because the circuit Wlll take place simply through the forked spring 6, the lugs 9 9, and the zinc sheath of cell 21. When, however, the cells 19 and 20 have about lost their strength, the forked spring is removed and cell 21 is reversed end for end, which brings the carbon element of the cell 21 into contact with the metallic screw 3. By so doing and replacing the forked spring in its original position the three cells will be connected in series, the third cell 21 being placed in the generating-circuit of the battery to boost up the other cells and maintain the current for an additional length of time.

It willbe seen that the throwing in of the boosting-cell is done in a. perfectly simple manner without wirin between the cells and without switches or p ugs.

The operation of the understood. At the start the current developed in the cells 19 and 20 follows the zinc sheath of the cell 21 and passes through the upper end of the batter -case through screw 3, and hence to draw-screw 10, which forms an outer binding-post to which the wire 11, leading to the earpiece, is attached. This wire properly divided distributes the current between the electromagnets of the earpiece, which are thus connected in parallel. The current then passes out of the magnets through the leading-out wires, as shown on ig. I. These wires are connected with one of the plates of a switch 12, the closing memher of which is the knife 13. The return-wire 14 is attached to the other plate of the switch,

end

from which it is properly insulated and leads the current to binding-post 15, which goes through the metallic back of the transmitter and from which it is insulated. The circuit continues from binding-post through internal wire 16 to electrode 17. From the electrode the current passes to the diaphragm and from the diaphragm to the metallic back of the transmitter, then from screw 18 to screw 4, and back to the negative end of cell 19.

When cells 19 and 20 begin to show signs of exhaustion, forked spring 6 is removed, cell 21 is reversed end for end, and forked spring 6 is put back in place. The instrument then can be used till complete exhaustion of the three cells, which are thus connected in series.

I have shown a current-interruptcr in the earpiece; but this may be placed in any convenient place in the circuit as, for instance, in the wires connecting the transmitter to the earpiece, as shown in Fig. 5, where wire 14 is provided with female plug 22 and male plug 23. To close the circuit, plug 23 is placed in plug 22. When the plugs are disconnected, the current is interrrupted, and the battery is at rest. The current may also be interrupted by placing double male and female plugs at some point of the cord connection between the transmitter and the earpiece, as shown in Fig. 6. It will easily be understood that by pulling the male plugs out of contact the current will be broken, the earpiece becoming entirely detached from the transmitter and battery.

What I claim is 1. Abatterycomposed ofapluralityofcells, and means whereby one of said cells by an endto-end reversal thereof maybe thrown in to or out of the generating-circuit of the battery.

2. A battery composed of a plurality of cells, one of said cells in one position thereof acting merely as a conductor of the batterycurrent and not as a generator, and means whereby said cell by an end-to-end reversal thereof may be thrown into the generatingcircuit of the battery.

3. A two-compartment battery-case containing two battery-cells in one compartment and one battery-cell in the other compartment, said last-named cell in one position thereof acting merely as a conductor of the battery-current and not as a generator, and means whereby said cell by an end-to-end reversal thereof may be thrown into the generating-circuit of the battery.

In witness whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE WILLIAM SCHNEIDER.

\Vitnesses:

J. G. PRATT, E. C. SIIAPPERT. 

